海角社区

You might say Chckvet, a startup whose software tools make veterinary practices more efficient, was born of frustration. Colin Hebert, Matthew Ieyoub and George Villaume had previously launched a web and app development company, Breach Software, which served as the web development team for Mallard Bay, the VRBO of hunting and fishing.

鈥淭hey really liked it, but Breach鈥檚 growth opportunities were limited. They were just salaried employees, basically working full time for Mallard Bay,鈥� said Chckvet Business Lead Elliott Greenwood. 鈥淭hey wanted to do more.鈥�

So, Hebert, Ieyoub and Villaume began brainstorming. They asked Greenwood to join because of his background in finance and experience launching other startups. The founders originally focused on practice management software for medical clinics. But the market was saturated. Then they looked at the idea from a slightly different angle. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e all pet owners. We鈥檝e all had the experience of making an appointment with the veterinarian, then sitting around half an hour or longer before actually seeing one,鈥� Greenwood said. 鈥淲e realized just through talking to our vets that they had kind of terrible software they were using to run their businesses.鈥�

The problem was widespread. The Chckvet team鈥檚 research showed more than half of North American veterinary practices are independent, owned by veterinarians with little to no business training. A conversation with Jason Boudreaux, associate director of entrepreneurial services at 海角社区 Innovation Park, confirmed Chckvet was headed in the right direction.

Hebert, Ieyoub and Villaume were familiar with the business park because Breach Software leases space there. Chckvet became a member, too. 海角社区 Innovation Park is a business incubator, whose services include free business consulting about finances, customer discovery, marketing, and growth strategies, among other things.

鈥淭he existing vet practice management software was clunky and inefficient, years behind what other industries used,鈥� Greenwood said. 鈥淐ombine that with vets鈥� lack of business education and no funding to hire more staff 鈥� It was clear we were onto something.鈥�

Chckvet's software allows the clients of veterinary practices to book appointments online, automatically text or email appointment reminders and confirmations, lets vets collect and respond to customer reviews, and provides analytics to show vets what actions they can take to grow their practices.

The team launched Chckvet in 2021. It took nearly three years to land the first customer.

At one point, the team members went door-to-door to pitch area vet clinics. They were unsuccessful. Still, during the dry spell, Chckvet kept refining its software and talking to veterinarians about what they needed and wanted for their practices.

鈥淲e tried everything possible to try and get in front of practices,鈥� Greenwood said. 鈥淭hat's still a challenge that we have today.鈥�

The team began making inroads when early advisors and investors suggested Chckvet adopt tactics used in the dental practice software space.

Instead of directly pitching veterinarians, Chckvet approached practice consultants. These experts know how valuable the startup鈥檚 solution can be to a practice and didn鈥檛 hesitate to recommend the Software as a Service (SaaS) to their clients.

鈥淥ur first customer told colleagues about Chckvet. Some of them tried it out. They told their friends about this great new product and the great service,鈥� Greenwood said. 鈥淐hckvet crushed its online reviews. Once momentum started building, business really started to take off.鈥�

"Chckvet took advantage of local accelerator programs and their hard work in identifying customer needs and appropriate market entry points has paid off," Boudreaux said.

The startup's customer base quadrupled in the last year. Chckvet now serves around 200 vet practices in the United States, Canada and a few in Australia.

Greenwood said the founders hope to grow the company to around 1,000 practices and then sell. They expect to reach that goal in the next two to three years if all goes well.

To contact the business consultants at 海角社区 Innovation Park at or the LSBDC at 海角社区, email jboud55@lsu.edu or amccloskey@lsu.edu.